Preparation, characterization, and biological activity study of thymoquinone-cucurbit[7]uril inclusion complex

In this study, the formation of a host-guest inclusion complex between cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) and thymoquinone (TQ) was investigated in aqueous solution. The formation of a stable inclusion complex, CB[7]-TQ, was confirmed by using different techniques, such as H-1 NMR and UV-visible spectroscopy. The aqueous solubility of TQ was clearly enhanced upon the addition of CB[7], which provided an initial indication for supramolecular complexation. The complexation stoichiometry and the binding constant of the inclusion complex were determined through a combination of two sets of titration methods, including UV-visible and fluorescence displacement titrations. Both methods suggested the formation of a 1 : 1 stoichiometry between CB[7] and TQ with moderate binding affinity of 3 x 10(3) M-1. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were also performed to verify the structure of the resulted host-guest complex and to support the complexation stoichiometry. The theoretical calculations were in agreement with experimental results obtained by H-1 NMR spectroscopy. Most importantly, the cytotoxic effect of the CB[7]-TQ complex was investigated against cancer and normal cell lines. The results showed that the anticancer activity of TQ against MDA-MB-231 cells was enhanced by the complexation with CB[7], while no significant effect was observed in MCF-7 cells. The results also confirmed the low toxicity of the CB[7] host molecule that supports the use of CB[7] as a drug carrier.

Automated summary

The study investigated the host-guest inclusion complex between cucurbit[7]uril and thymoquinone in aqueous solution. Experimental techniques such as H-1 NMR and UV-visible spectroscopy confirmed the formation of a stable inclusion complex. The complexation stoichiometry was determined to be 1:1 with a moderate binding affinity, supported by both experimental and theoretical calculations. Furthermore, the cytotoxic effect of the CB[7]-TQ complex was enhanced against cancer cells, demonstrating the potential of CB[7] as a drug carrier with low toxicity.